As of writing this post, I am easing myself into Charlie Brooker's sci-fi anthology series, Black Mirror. For those of you who don't know, Black Mirror, tells different stories in different settings, usually about how humanity would react to cutting edge technology. Usually, but not always, the show would get into some dark territories, hence why I'm easing myself into the series and I will say that it is NOT for everyone. From what I have seen though, the show is marvelous with its relevant themes, biting satire, clever writing and amazing actors. However, there was one episode that really stood out to me, that being the Season 3 premiere: 'Nosedive.'
'Nosedive' tells the story of Lacie Pound (played by Bryce Dallas Howard), a woman living in a society where people are constantly rated out of 5 stars. The higher the average score, the more privileges you get. Lacie, who averages at 4.2, is invited to a wedding attended by high fours, something which could boost her own rating big enough to get a new house. However, as the title suggests, her life takes a gigantic nosedive as one bad situation after another decreases her average score until she hits zero.
The opening 10 minutes of this episode is honestly terrifying to watch. We see Lacie's day-to-day life as she puts on a fake smile, which she practices in front of a mirror, in order to be liked by everyone. Everything about this sequence seems fake from the light colours (notice the pink tint) to the overly cheery attitudes which makes the whole thing seem off. Throughout the episode, Lacie tries very hard to be liked and nothing seems authentic. Even her own brother, a 3.8, claims not to recognise her anymore as she is always putting on a front. The only characters who feel natural are characters with a low rating because they generally don't care about their image and are happy with their lives.
There's a scene in the middle where Lacie meets the 1.4 truck driver and this is where the episode's moral comes front and centre. The driver is only like this because her cancer-ridden husband was denied access to a high-end hospital because his rating wasn't high enough. After his death, she decided to be honest with herself and though it made her a social pariah, she's the only character who's truly happy because she no longer cares what people think of her.
Then, at the end, Lacie gets a zero and sent to jail for causing a scene. She is deeply upset at first but then gets into an insult match with a fellow inmate and even though she is imprisoned, she is truly free to say what she wants without fear of backlash.
This got me thinking about the idea external social validation. In 'Nosedive's' society, your external image can change how you are able to live your life. You can only live in certain places if you're a 3.8 or higher, for example, and you can only board flights if you're a 4.2 or higher. It speaks a lot about how others' perception of you can change your lifestyle.
In a world dominated by social media, it seems as if people go out of the way to get likes by painting their lives as picturesque as possible. I see this often in Facebook and I presume that it's especially the case with Instagram (I don't have the latter so I wouldn't know). I'm a victim of this too. I constantly worry that my life doesn't seem that interesting since I don't have enough pictures of it and I often compare other people's profile pictures against my own to see who has more likes. It's always the worst seeing my Facebook friends go off on adventures and bragging about them when I have less to brag about. But at the same time, I'm probably the same as I often display my greater achievements on Facebook. Heck, I share my blogs around to get as many views as possible. I know I shouldn't worry about it but I do. I'm like Lacie, I care about what people think of me and I try presenting myself as a good man (which I believe I am) to get people to like me.
Because to be honest, external validation feels good. It feels great when someone tells you you're great and awesome. But if, like me, you're almost dependent on it to feel good about yourself, then it's honestly damaging because you're constantly worrying that people don't like you and cast you aside. This is especially true in competitive scenarios like competitions and pretty much everything to do with theatre. When I lose competitions or I don't get into plays I audition for, it makes me feel like I'm not good enough which is a really unhealthy way of thinking and probably untrue. It drives me to push my image into higher standards and if I end up like Lacie, that can do more harm to me than good.
I think that's why 'Nosedive' struck a chord with me more than any other Black Mirror episode I've seen (well except maybe 'Hang the DJ' but that's a whole other blog post) because we're dangerously close to that society. We do rate each other for our online activities and we maybe even subconsciously do the same with everyday life. If we all stop worrying about what people think of us then we would probably feel better about ourselves.
That concludes this thought from an autistic mind. Sorry I've been gone for so long but I tried to move this to a new site only to realise that the old format was fine. What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you agree/disagree? Discuss in the comments below and be sure to like my Facebook page 'Joel Mole.' Thank you for taking your time to read this and thank you for your patience. Until the next time, fair thee well good people of the internet!
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